"I like surprises like that," Mrs. Blancato said of the $3,000 award from Ms. Lambert's MuttNation Foundation that she received in the mail this week.

The foundation apparently sent grants to one shelter in every state after carefully reviewing several criteria such as community involvement, fundraising, websites, volunteerism and others according to the letter that accompanied a check signed by Ms. Lambert's mother, Bev Lambert.

"People who know us know we stretch every dollar but we have to raise a dollar to stretch it," Mrs. Blancato said.

The shelter, which has an adoption center in East Brookfield and a wellness center in North Brookfield, also recently opened a cat adoption facility inside the PetSmart on Route 9 in Framingham, where about 10 cats can be housed and interacted with by possible adopters.

Mrs. Blancato said no one applied for the funds and the check left her stunned.

She said if she had the chance to meet Ms. Lambert, she'd give her a hug and thank her.

"I appreciate that she thought so highly of our shelter," she said.

"It's nice to know that somebody thought so much of us because sheltering is tough work."

Ms. Lambert is known for her love of animals, often rescuing and rehoming pets on her own. In the first six months of 2013, MuttNation Foundation had raised $400,000 through private donations and fundraisers according to theboot.com.

Contact Kim Ring at kring@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @kimmring.